Spring seat and back structure



Dec. 5, 1950 c. F. BENSON SPRING SEAT AND BACK STRUCTURE Filed March 30, 1946 [N V EN TOR.

C/I dr/zo fiede/[c/r 36 760/7 ATTORMEW Patented Dec. 5, 1950 c eric E :(iihafles Frederick Benson, alackson,iMich.

The main-fobiects'orthis invention are:

First, to "provide a combined spring seat and springback structurewhich may beqziit'eresil'rent and one in whichre lative movementnf the seat and back at tlleir point o f juncture 'sub't& htially eliminated, th'e'reby'eliminating'or ing the objectionable *feature of "sliding boiiy movement of the occupant relativetothe'back;

-Seco'm'i, to provide "a combined seat "and 'back structure having relatively few parts and at {the same time "one in which the upholstery Fis effectively "supported to attain the objects stated.

Third, to provide a combined sejait and "back spring structure utilizing the zigzag t me for springs in -botnsealt and back.

Objects pertaining to details andfe'conomies of the invention will definitlyappear. from' t-hed'e scription to "follow. The invention defined in the claims. I

Astru'cture which embodies the features-citric invention is clearly illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, dnwhich: I

Fig. 1 is'a perspectiveviewbl*asingjle'seatand back structure embodying the features'tif'my in-- vention, parts being "shown conventionally and the upholstery being "partially broken "away {t0 illustrate therelationdfthe-seatand'back springs.

Fig. '2 is an enlarged-vertical section through the seat and back spri'n'gs with upholsteryomitted.

Fig.3 is an'enlarg'ed fragmentaryyiewpartially in section 'o-nlin'e 33 of "Fig.

The embodiment of the 'mvention "illustratedi's a front orsingleseat'suc'h asfoimti'in automobiles although the invention may-beembodied in furniture. I have not illustrated the supports for the structure. Thes'eat'frame is designatedgenerally by the numeral I and "comprises a rront member 2, rrearimember's "and Iside'imembers 4, only oneof which is illustrated. The back frame comprises the uprights or side members #5 scanri'ed by the'seat Trame'and connected at their-upper ends" by'the'top cross piece 6. The seat'springs 1 are of the upwardly bowed :z'igzag type. The frontends of these springs are mounted-on the upperedge of the member 20f the seat frame by means of 'theclips 8. The irear ends of the seatsprings are connected to the .rear member 3 of the seat frame by meansof itheihinge links 9 which are pivoted at [0 to the hinge members I l secured to the member 3. This permits swinging and some endwise movement of the seat springs as they are compressed under load.

The back springs l2 are also of the zigzag type and are secured at their upper ends by the clips disclosure will enable -the adaptation of the 'vention a's maybe desired.

secured "by the 'clips 14 to"re'aches 'l 5 ofthe seat springs spaced forwardly from the rear ends of the seat springs. The-backsprings areforwardly bowed and also rearwardly inclined upwardly. The seatand back springs 'are' connected by the helical tie springs l-6.

itvvill 'b'e understood tlia'tin the accompanying drawing I have not attempted to show the exact number of seat and back springs that 'miglit be required; wouldbe varied not'on'ly according to the size 'of the structure 'bnt-by other conditions such 2'83 the {gauge of the :wire from which the springs were iorme'd, their length, and'other factors. v I

f In the elnbndin'fent illustrated *thesreat springs" have front border springs 11 secured to reaches thereof at I8, the front ends of the 'sp-rnrgs "-lfl being connected by the border wire P9; The

springs "l1 are-also "of the zigzag type-and they are provided to "suitably support the seat 'uph'oh stery at the front edge thereof. The front ends of the border springs are supported by *the -hel'i-' the lower "ends of the back springs move with thevertical movement of the seat'springs under load, the back uplrols'tery moves "also, "thereby avoiding r'frictional ior' sliding 'rrrovement .of'the occupant on'the back'with the movement of the a seat springs under load. 7 "This sliding movement o'fithe occupant "of the seat the" back iis sometimes considerable, fndt only resulting in quite an mpleasant sensa Ion but tendingto wrinkle and disp laicethevgarnients ofthe occupant. In seat structures where :the cushion and. back "are quite independenttherelis a'tendency for. thegarments orthe occupantlto work down and wedgebe'tween, the rear-.edgeiof the seat .:and .theflower end or theiback cushion. This condition is idbviated'b-y 5 structures embodying .my invention.

Ihave not attempted ItoTillustrateor describe various adaptations and Jernb'odimentsof the invention Whichl contemplate as it. is 1b lieved this Having thus described my invention What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A combined seat and back structure comprising, in combination, a supporting frame including connected front and rear seat frame members and a back frame top member, a plurality of upwardly bowed zigzag seat springs arranged in spaced parallel relation and secured at their front ends to the front seat frame member, depending supporting links on the rear ends of said seat springs pivotally mounted on the rear seat frame member, a plurality of forwardly bowed zigzag longitudinally springable back springs alined with said seat springs and connected at their upper ends to said back frame top member and having their lower ends connected to reaches of said seat springs in substantially spaced relation to the rear ends thereof whereby the lower ends of the back springs are supported by and move in unison with the vertical movement of the seat springs, and upholstery for said springs secured to said supporting frame and consisting of seat and back upholstery cover sections supported by said seat andback springs, the lower end of said back upholstery cover sectionbeing connected to the rear end of the seat upholstery cover section, the union for said cover sections being adjacent the point of connection for the lower ends of the back springs to the seat springs,

2. A combined seat and back structure comprising, in combination, a supporting frame including connected front and rear seat frame members and a back frame top member, a plurality of upwardly bowed zigzag seat springs arranged in spaced parallel relation and secured at their front ends to the front seat frame member, depending supporting links on the rear ends of said seat springs pivotally mounted on the rear seat frame member, and a plurality of forwardly bowed zigza longitudinally springable back springs alined with said seat springs and connected at their upper ends to said back frame top member and having their lower ends connected to reaches of said seat springs in substantially spaced relation to the rear ends thereof whereby the lower ends of the back springs are supported by and move in unison with the vertical movement of the seat springs.

3. In combination with a seat frame, a back frame extending upwardly from said seat frame, a plurality of upwardly bowed zigzag seat springs extending from front to rear of the seat frame and supported at their ends thereby, a plurality of forwardly bowed zigzag longitudinally springable back springs connected at their upper ends to said back frame and having their lower ends connected to reaches of said seat springs in substantially spaced relation to the point of attachment of the rear ends thereof to said seat frames so that the lower ends of the back springs are supported by and move in unison with the vertical movement of the seat springs, and upholstery for said springs secured to said seat frame and back frame and consisting of seat and back upholstery cover sections supported by said seat and back springs, the lower end of said back upholstery cover section being connected to the rear end of the seat upholstery cover section, the union of said cover sections being adjacent the point of connection of the lower ends of the back springs to the seat springs.

4. In combination with a seat frame, a back frame extending upwardly from said seat frame, a plurality of upwardly bowed zigzag seat springs extending from front to rear of the seat frame and supported at their ends thereby, and a plurality of forwardly bowed zigzag longitudinally springable back springs connected at their upper ends to said back frame and having their lower ends connected to reaches of said seat springs in substantially spaced relation to the point of support of the rear ends thereof whereby the lower ends of the back springs are supported by and move in unison with the vertical movement of the seat springs.

5. A seat and back structure comprising a seat frame, a back frame, a plurality of upwardly bowed zigzag seat springs supported at their ends on said seat frame, a plurality of vertically disposed "forwardly bowed zigzag longitudinally springable backsprings alined with said seat springs and having'their lower ends connected toreaches of said seat springs in substantially spaced relation to the point of support of the rear ends thereof, the upper ends ofsaid back springs being connected tosaid back frame in vertically spaced relation from the seat frame, and upholstery for said seat and back springs supported thereby whereby the relative movement of the seat and back upholstery is minimized.

6. A seat and back structure comprising a seat frame, a back frame, a plurality of upwardly bowed zigzag seat springs supported at their ends on said seat frame, a plurality of vertically disposed forwardly bowed zigza longitudinally springable back springs having their lower ends connected to said seat springs in substantially spaced relation to the point of support of the rear. ends thereof, the upper ends of said back springs being connected to said back frame in vertically spacedrelation from the seat.

7. In a seat and back structure, a seat frame, a back frame, a pluralit of upwardly bowed seat springs supported at their ends on said seat frame, a plurality of vertically disposed forwardly bowed longitudinally extensible back springs hav ing their lower ends connected to said seat springs in substantially spaced relation to the point of support of the rear ends thereof, the upper ends of said back springs being connected to said back frame in vertically spaced relation from the seat frame, each of the back springs comprising a series of looped portions. spaced longitudinally of the spring, with each looped portion extending transverselyv of the general direction of the spring, to facilitate longitudinal extension and compression of the spring.

CHARLES FREDERICK BENSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain of 1939 

